While Golden Bear Report can break everything down for you from the Cal football perspective, we wanted to get a true pulse from the other side as the 2-0 Bears head to South Bend, Ind., this week to play 0-2 Notre Dame.
Tyler James, the publisher of Rivals' InsideNDSports.com site, answered five questions for us about the Fighting Irish as it relates to the matchup this weekend.
How does Notre Dame like to get after the quarterback, and who or what should Cal fans be most concerned about?
James: "Through two games, it seems Notre Dame doesn't like to get after the quarterback. That's not really true, but only four sacks total sacks in the first two games isn't that impressive for what should be a strength of this defense. The Irish don't rely on a lot of blitzes, but first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden has dialed up a wide variety of them. Any linebacker could be used to blitz, but the most likely to do so is Marist Liufau. His speed and length can cause issues. Jack Kiser doesn't blitz much, but he's been effective when asked to do so.
"Notre Dame will typically rush with four and rely on its talent up front to make noise. Star defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who could be a first-round NFL draft pick and totaled 11 sacks last season, has had a quiet start to the season. But Cal will need to account for him. Rylie Mills, who can rush from end or tackle, can be disruptive. As can the Ademilola twins, Jayson at tackle and Justin at end."
With Tyler Buchner out for the season, how does the identity of the Irish offense change?
James: "Part of Notre Dame's problem through two games has been the lack of an offensive identity even while Tyler Buchner was playing quarterback. Notre Dame thought it would be a team that could impose its will on the offensive line and in the running game, but that hasn't been the case. That resulted in Buchner becoming the leading rusher in terms of carries (24), yards (62) and touchdowns (2) through two games.
"With Drew Pyne replacing Buchner, the offense shouldn't change drastically. However, Pyne isn't nearly as big of a threat as a runner. He can pick up some yards on zone reads and will move outside of the pocket, but he's not going to win a lot of foot races against defenders. So unless the offensive line gets into gear, the running game may not improve drastically.
"I want to see if Pyne can be proficient with RPOs and consistently make good decisions. If he's accurate with his passes, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees may have to start building an offensive identity around quick decisions and yards after the catch."
